Healing and Heartache
by FangZeronos
Summary: Aftermath of Genji's life being saved by Mercy


Dr. Angela Ziegler, known to the world at large as Overwatch's resident healer and 'angel' Mercy, will always remember the day she first met Genji Shimada. Commander Morrison and Ana Amari had brought him in, near death and looking as if he'd been in a massive battle which she'd found out later that he had been in a fight to the death with his own brother. She used all of her resources to do her best to fix him, eventually getting him to respond to her.

"How do you feel, Genji?" she asked one morning as she walked into his room, watching him as he tested his cybernetic limbs that had replaced his legs and right arm. "I know it takes some getting used to, but it's the first time we've done replacement on a scale like this. McCree and Torbjorn are different because it's only one arm, but to replace three of your limbs-"

"It's fine, Doctor. You need not explain to me," Genji replied, his voice off to his own ears as he stopped the good doctor's ramblings. "I understand the extents of my injuries from my brother. He was doing his job, and I cannot fault him for this. Only myself for wishing not to partake in my family's illegal legacy." He stood and wobbled, finding his balance. "Am I needed in your office?"

"Just some minor tweaks that you asked about," Dr. Ziegler said with a smile. "I can bring a wheelchair in if you'd rather not walk."

"How will I get used to these if I do not test them, Doctor?" Genji asked.

"Very well, Genji. If you'll follow me downstairs," she said as she turned and headed for the door. She opened it and waited for Genji, watching him attempt to walk. "Just be slow, Genji. Your legs might feel heavy."

"My entire body feels off, Doctor," Genji said. He walked behind Angela for the entire way, his hand wanting to find the wall and guide him, but he forced himself to not rely on it like a child would.

"Take a seat, Genji," Angela said, making her way over to him and pulling gloves on, helping him sit slowly. "You asked for some adjustments on the drive wheels, correct? A bit faster?"

"Yes," Genji said. "I feel sluggish, and it's not a feeling I need if I'm to go into battle like Commander Morrison says will happen in time." He watched as Angela started to work, taking tools and adjusting his limbs.

As time passed, Angela fell silent, the only sounds filling the room being what she was doing to Genji, the sounds of tools working. After an hour of working, she looked at Genji who was staring into the distance. "Genji? How are you coping with this?" she asked, her voice low.

The young man was quiet for a minute as he thought. "It...is difficult, Dr. Ziegler," Genji admitted finally. "I am incapable of doing what I used to love. I would go to the arcade near my family's house and spend hours inside, live a higher life then I probably should have. I know that life is behind me."

Angela nodded, setting her tools down finally. "Alright. Let's see how you feel now," she said, standing up and pulling hr stool out of the way, helping Genji to stand. "Give me a walk around my office, Genji."

Genji nodded, starting to walk around and going for a while before he stopped. "Much better, Doctor. Thank you," he said.

Angela smiled and put her hand on Genji's arm. 'You're welcome, Genji," she said. She glanced at the clock. "Hm. Near noon. Would you care to join me for lunch?"

Genji looked at Angela and nodded. "I would," he said with a small smile. "Thank you."

Together they walked down to the cafeteria, Angela talking about her research just to fill the silence. As they made their way inside, they heard the coming to be all to familiar sounds of Tracer, Lena Oxton, as she sat and talked with resident scientist and gorilla Winston.

"Doc!" Tracer said with a grin, up and over to Angela and Genji in a flash thanks to the chronal accelerator on her chest. "Thought you weren't coming down today like most every other day."

Angela smiled and patted Tracer's shoulder. "Calm down, Tracer. You're always so excitable. I thought I'd see what was for lunch today," she said. "And I asked Genji to come with me."

Tracer looked beside Angela, seeing the young man. "Oh. It's nice to meet you, Genji," she said with a smile.

Genji bowed his head. "And you, Tracer," he said.

"We'll be at the table in a moment, Lena," Angela said with a smile. "Go."

"Yep!" She took off and sat back across from Winston like nothing had happened.

Angela shook her head, leading Genji towards the line that was backed up with janitors, technicians, and other random staff of Overwatch. Finally making their way to the front and getting their food of choice, the pair heading for the table where Tracer was talking excitedly with Winston about her latest training with McCree.

"He's bloody fast on the draw!" she said. "I blinked and barely dodged the rounds!"

"Jesse is fascinating," Winston said. "To be that quick is astonishing." He looked up and smiled when Angela and Genji sat down. "Good afternoon, Dr. Ziegler."

"Good afternoon, Winston," Angela said with a smile. "Winston, this is Genji. The young man Jack and Ana brought in a few weeks ago."

"Pleased to meet you, Genji," Winston said, bowing his head softly.

"And you," Genji responded. He bowed his head and turned to his lunch, picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat slowly. The table was silent for a few minutes, Genji finally breaking the silence and growling as he tossed the chopsticks down and pushed his bowl back.

"Genji? What's wrong?" Angela asked. "Too hot?"

"I do not know," Genji said, looking away. "I cannot taste it. I can smell it, see it, touch it, but I cannot taste it. It does not register on my tongue."

Angela looked down at her own lunch, biting her lip. "It might be because of the cybernetics I installed to save your life," she whispered. "I didn't think about that, Genji. I'm sorry."

Genji shook his head. "It's fine," he said, getting up and throwing his lunch away, walking out of the cafeteria and down the hall, his hands clenching as he did.

Nobody saw Genji for nearly two weeks after that, the young man hiding away in his room. When his next appointment with the doctor came around, Genji made his way through the base, pushing Angela's office door open. "DOctor."

Angela jumped, dropping the papers in her hand onto the floor. "Genji...where have you been? We've been looking for you," she said, kneeling down and picking up her papers.

"I did not want to be found," Genji said. "I was hiding in my quarters. After the other day at lunch, I felt I did not deserve to be seen by anyone. I only appeared today for my diagnostic and check up. Otherwise I would have had more problems."

"WHat kind of problems?" Angela asked, pulling her labcoat on after setting her papers to the side.

"My arms are not in sync. My mechanical one is faster then my human one," Genji said. "I want it replaced with a cybernetic one to make the speed the same. Having a slower limb in combat would put my comrades in danger."

Angela stopped, her hands lowering as she looked at Genji. She was silent, absorbing everything he said. She sighed, looking away. "...would it be alright if I referred your request to the Commander?" she asked, her voice low.

Genji nodded. "As you wish."

Angela narrowed her eyes. "If I could do as I wished, I would pretend I did not hear what you just asked," she said. "It's fine to put Overwatch and the mission aside for your own health, Genji. Replacing a healthy limb with an artifical one for no reason is absolute madness."

"Healthy limb?" Genji asked, lifting his left arm where tubes to help control his medication from the implants rested on his forearm. "I'm trained to combat enemies in the field, Dr. Ziegler. Having unsychronized limbs is a liability."

"Do not talk like that!" Angela snapped. "You're not a weapon, Genji! YOu're still human! Damn it, stop talking like you're not!"

Genji was off of the chair and in Angela's face, the doctor yelling as her back hit the wall. His eyes glowed a dark red, narrowing into slits. "I'm not a weapon? Isn't that why you were ordered by Commander Morrison to save my life? If I am not a weapon, then why did you not just let me die?" he asked, growling as he did. "If I'm not to be a weapon, perhaps you should have left me alone."

Angela felt her heart thundering in her chest, looking up at Genji with fear in her eyes, but something else behind the fear-confusion, sadness, hope? She wasn't sure. She pushed Genji away from her, turning and running for the case in the back of her lab that held her Valkyrie Suit, gun, and Caduceus Staff. She threw the door open, reaching into the case and, through the tears stinging her eyes, blindly grabbed for something.

"You picked the wrong weapon, Doctor," Genji said, a dark chuckle in his voice as he stared down her Staff.

Angela yelled out, swinging wide and smacking Genji in the face with the end of the Staff, slamming it repeatedly into his head and chest as he hit the ground, her screams filling the lab as she did. "DAMN YOU!" she yelled. "Damn you, Genji! I saved your life! I gave you a second chance! I did not save you to make you a weapon! I do not like hearing you talk like this! YOu're better then that, and you know it! Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Finally wearing herself out, Angela panted as she sank to her knees on the floor, the Staff falling from her hands as she buried her head against her palms.

Genji stayed still, sitting up slowly before he stood. "...I'm sorry," he whispered, turning and walking out, the door shutting behind him as his footsteps receeded down the hallway.

Angela fell backwards against the case, bringing her knees up as she started to sob, her shoulders shaking as her hair fell around her face. "Oh, Genji...I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears streaking down her face slowly.

As the rest of the day passed, Angela did not move from her spot on the floor, her tears finally running out as her shoulders continued to shake. Tracer walked down the hall, having been asked by Commander Morrison to check on her since she wasn't answering.

"Doc?" Tracer asked, pushing the door open. "Doc, you in here, love? Commander's worried about you and asked me to look in on you." She made her way inside, hearing sniffling from the corner. "Doc?" She walked over and knelt down, picking up the Staff and setting it back in the case, seeing the black and red scuff marks on it before she sat beside Angela. "Doc? Talk to me."

"What have I done, Lena?" Angela asked, her voice shaking. "What have I done to him...?"

Lena felt her heart break for Angela. She wrapped her arms around her friend and rubbed her back, not knowing what to say. "S'ok, Angie," she whispered. "S'ok. He'll come 'round eventually. S'ok..."

Nobody saw Genji after that, the young man disappearing from the base and leaving no signs except for a single note pinned to his door and a sparrows feather attatched.

 _Angela,_

 _I am sorry for how I reacted the last time I saw you. I have trouble coping with what I've become, and I took that anger out on you and I had no right to do so. I hope someday you can forgive me of my actions, and that I can learn to work past my anger._

 _Please do not come look for me. I know that you would want to do so or have a team assigned to find me, but it is better if you do not. I am unsure of where I am going, but I hope that soon I will be able to tell you where I am. I hope this finds you and I hope you accept an informal apology from a foolish child._

 _Sincerely and regretfully,_

 _Genji_

Angela found the note on her desk, Lena having snagged it and taken it down to her. As the doctor read the paper several times, she felt her heart sink just a bit more each time. "Genji...I hope that you can soon forgive me for what I've done to you," she whispered. "I am so sorry..."


End file.
